Landon Main, 10, of Bakersfield is dressed as a jawa from Star Wars. He and his family are members of the 501st Legion. The Main family attended this year’s Comikaze in Los Angeles. (Photo by Beatriz E. Valenzuela)

Two glowing eyes stared out from beneath a worn cloak. A second, similar but taller creature emerged and the two shuffled across the cavernous hall.

“Oh my goodness!” a woman yelped “Look at that! Can I please take your picture?”

And with that the woman waited for the two jawas, the technology scavenging natives of Tatooine from “Star Wars,” to strike a pose before snapping a few pictures.

“This is a lot of fun,” said 10-year-old Landon Main of Bakersfield. He and his older brother, William Main, dressed as the rodent-like creatures at this year’s Comikaze expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center this weekend.

Their father, Erick Main, created the costumes. All three are part of the 501st Legion, an international fan-based organization dedicated to the villains of Star Wars.

“This is a great way for families to spend time together doing something really fun,” said Kristina Main, the boys’ mother.

As families search for things to do, more and more parents are turning to comic and animation conventions as a way to spend quality time together through a shared interest.

“Cosplay is a fantastic opportunity for families to bond by expressing their love for pop culture,” said Chris Riley, a professional cosplayer who will be part of a panel discussion on the art of cosplay at Comikaze.

“Younger children can get the same excitement and wonderment at a convention that they would by seeing Mickey Mouse at Disneyland. However, unlike Disneyland, at a convention you see every comic book, cartoon, sci-fi, fairy tale and fantasy character you can possibly think of. That kind of excitement is what draws families to the con.”

Many comic convention experts say they have also seen the increased number of families at these events and it seems convention organizers are taking note. These days it seems many cons host family-friendly programs on Sundays, making it the best day to bring children.

But Stan Lee’s Comikaze, only in its third year, seems almost made for the whole family simply because of the size of the convention is smaller than the more popular San Diego Comic-Con. While 130,000 people swarmed downtown San Diego this year for Comic-Con, just more than a third of that size made it out to Comikaze last year.

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“Comic-Con is way too crowded to bring kids,” said Nicholas Bouzikian of Corona on opening day of Comikaze.

Bouzikian and his wife, Marissa Pulido, along with their 3-year-old daughter, Cara Reimer, cosplayed as the characters from Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph.”

“We go to these smaller cons and they’re just as good,” he said. “You get to see the same artists, and it’s cheaper and not as crazy.”

Shortly after strolling onto the main floor, the young family was asked by several attendees to pose for pictures.